"Wow, your eyes are so beautiful!" the little girl exclaimed in surprise.
"Young lady, is there anything I can help you with?"
Her voice was lovely, even better than her brother's! The little girl was excited, but she hadn't forgotten why she had come. She handed over the food, saying, "Here, take this. You look like you haven't eaten in a long time."
Qiao Qiu nodded. "Thank you, but I don't want to eat anything. Could you give me some water instead?"
"Okay, wait a minute, I'll go get it right away." The little girl didn't care about anything else, shoved the steamed bun into her hand, and skipped back.
Qiao Qiu slightly tugged at the corners of her chapped lips; she was truly an innocent and carefree girl.
Seeing his younger sister return, the man handed her water and said, "I'll go with you."
The little girl laughed and said, "You heard everything?"
The man flicked her nose and chuckled, “Judging from his tone, he’s a scholar, and I also noticed that his overall demeanor is quite extraordinary.”
"How did you figure that out?" The little girl turned to look at Qiao Qiu and felt that she seemed quite different. Even though she was in such a disheveled state, she was still very beautiful upon closer inspection.
“He was clearly hungry, but he didn’t eat the dry food you gave him. That nonchalance and disregard for life are things that ordinary people can’t do.” The man said, “Let’s go and make friends with this person.”
"oh."
Qiao Qiu heard everything the two were saying. They weren't far apart, and they didn't try to hide their conversation from anyone.
Qiao Qiu rubbed the paper, remaining still and silent.
The little girl came over and gave her the water. Qiao Qiu offered the steamed bun back to the little girl, but the little girl refused it.
Qiao Qiu laughed and said, "If you don't hold it, how am I supposed to drink the water?"
"Okay." The little girl took it back as instructed.
Qiao Qiu opened the cap of the water bag, tilted her head back, and poured the water into her mouth.
The man watched her movements with a hint of admiration in his eyes. Even drinking water like this could be done with such elegance and grace; she was definitely not an ordinary person.
The little girl was completely mesmerized. Her brother was right; this was definitely not an ordinary beggar.
The man cupped his hands and said, "My name is He Qixie, and this is my younger sister, He Suyue. We are from the Changfeng Escort Agency. May I ask your honorable name, sir?"
Qiao Qiu pointed her long fingers at the water bag and said, "I will not change my name or surname. My surname is Chen and my given name is Junbai."
It turns out that Shen Junbai had met the old man from Changfeng Escort Agency twice. These two young people should be the old man's son and daughter.
"Shen Junbai?!" He Qixie was shocked upon hearing the name.
It's no wonder he wasn't surprised. Shen Junbai's name was quite well-known in the escort agency industry; after all, escort agencies had to deal with these merchants, and he had heard of Shen Junbai before. But he had heard this morning that the Shen family had been wiped out overnight, and Shen Junbai was still alive?
Qiao Qiu squinted at him and asked, "What, you don't believe me?"
"This..." He Qixie was stumped by the question; it was hard to believe him in this way.
"Half a month ago, I asked Chief He to deliver something to Xiangzhou City. I just heard that you are also going there. I wonder if you could give me a ride?" Qiao Qiu looked at their caravan. With horses and carriages, it would be quite convenient for transportation.
"You really are Shen Junbai! My apologies. To be honest, Young Master Shen, that thing of yours was the one I was escorting, but I don't know what's inside." He Qi Xie was certain, because only he, his father, and Shen Junbai knew about that thing; no one else knew.
Shen Junbai created countless legends within a year, which is simply a miracle in the business world. So even though he is now in such a sorry state, people still cannot look down on him.
Qiao Qiu gave a slight smile. "No comment."
He Qi Xie wasn't angry; Qiao Qiu's silence was within his expectations. "Then please, Young Master Shen, accompany us. My father considers you a close friend, and he would be very happy if he knew you were still alive."
"That's great!" He Suyue jumped up and clapped her hands with joy.
"Thank you." Qiao Qiu stood up, but suddenly everything went black and she swayed.
The He siblings quickly helped her up.
He Qi Xie said, "Sister, Young Master Shen must not have eaten anything since last night. Quickly bring us our food."
"Okay."
He Suyue ran a few steps, then ran back and stuffed her own dry food into Qiao Qiu's hand. "This is mine. I'll go eat my brother's later. Is this enough? If not, I'll get more."
"That's enough, thank you." Qiao Qiu pushed He Qi Xie away, steadied herself, took the steamed bun He Su Yue gave her, and began to eat it slowly and deliberately, without refusing any more.
"Brother Shen, you're too kind." He Suyue was a little embarrassed. She had heard of Shen Junbai before, and now that he was standing right in front of her, eating the food she had given him, her heart was racing.
Girls usually eat very little, and this paper package contained only two steamed buns, but that was enough for Qiao Qiu, who had been hungry for a long time.
He Qi Xie said, "With Brother Shen's skill, he should have heard what I said just now. I have offended you greatly, please forgive me."
"Brother Shen knows martial arts?" He Suyue asked in surprise.
He Qi Xie laughed and said, "You silly girl, don't you know that every member of the Shen family is skilled in both literature and martial arts, especially Brother Shen who is the most outstanding?"
"Wow, that's amazing!" He Suyue looked at Qiao Qiu with starry eyes. "Big brother, between you and Brother Shen, who's more amazing?"
"Need I say more? Of course it is..." He Qixie's voice trailed off.
He Suyue followed his gaze and saw Shen Junbai biting his head while silently shedding tears.
It is said that men do not easily shed tears, but this is only because they are deeply saddened. He is crying so bitterly, so he must be very heartbroken.
"Brother Shen, I'm sorry." He Qixie wanted to slap himself twice. He knew that Shen Junbai's family had been brutally murdered, yet he still mentioned the Shen family in front of him.
Qiao Qiu herself didn't have any strong emotions towards the Shen family other than sympathy. It was just a physical reaction. She could feel the excruciating pain in her heart at that moment, no less than the excruciating pain in her wrists and ankles when she used martial arts.
She wiped away her tears, stuffed the steamed bun into her mouth, tilted her head back and took a big gulp of water, forcing it down.
Seeing her like this, He Suyue couldn't help but shed tears and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.
Qiao Qiu looked at He Qixie with a calm gaze, "You don't need to blame yourself. Life and death are predestined. Even if you don't mention it, it won't change the fact that my family was wiped out."
This was the first time Qiao Qiu had truly looked at He Qixie. She noticed that He Qixie was quite tall; she estimated herself to be around 1.75 meters, so he was probably between 1.85 and 1.9 meters. He had a very masculine and handsome appearance, with thick, well-defined eyebrows above surprisingly large, captivating eyes. He had a high nose, thin lips, and facial features that looked as if they had been sculpted by a knife and axe. He possessed a very righteous and charismatic aura.
Most importantly, this man looked very clean, a cleanliness that permeated his very soul, just like Su Xi in his previous life.
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